Fullerton's Eshelman tops USC in college debut

FULLERTON – From the Avocado League to Orange County, Thomas Eshelman made a fruitful transition from high school to college baseball Friday night, with some middle-innings help.

Eshelman, an accomplished high school pitcher from Carlsbad, got the honor of starting Cal State Fullerton's season opener, and the freshman right-hander didn't waste it, as he threw six solid innings in the Titans' 3-2 nonconference victory over USC in front of 3,508 at Goodwin Field.

The 22nd-ranked Titans will be counting on a couple young starters this season, so they had to be pleased with Eshelman's poised debut. He allowed two runs, both unearned, and four hits.

"I was pretty comfortable, because I pitched in the fall," Eshelman said. "I knew they were going to be tough, but I knew if I just stuck to my approach and threw strikes, I'd be fine."

Eshelman didn't allow a USC baserunner until the fifth inning, but the Trojans took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Eshelman's pitch count climbed into the 80s and he seemed to tire. USC shortstop James Roberts hit a two-run home run to give the Trojans a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived.

Two well-placed bunts and solid baserunning allowed the Titans to retake the lead in the bottom of the inning as USC starter Bobby Wheatley ran into trouble.

Fullerton loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth on Matt Chapman's single, J.D. Davis' walk and Michael Lorenzen's perfect bunt toward third base. Chad Wallach then drove in Chapman with a sharp single to left to tie the score at 2, but Davis was thrown out at home.

The Titans took a 3-2 lead when the next batter, Matt Orloff, pushed a bunt directly toward reliever Nigel Nootbaar. Nootbaar double-clutched, and the speedy Lorenzen scored from third before the tag.

Eshelman didn't come out for the seventh, but still recorded the victory. He had only one bad inning.

USC, one of the worst offensive teams in the Pac-12 last season, didn't have a baserunner until Kevin Swick singled in the fifth. Then, with two outs in the sixth, Adam Landecker grounded to second and reached when Orloff's throw pulled Carlos Lopez off first base. Roberts then hit a 0-1 changeup over the left-field fence for a 2-1 lead.

"I was encouraged by the pitchers. I think (Fullerton) is a pretty good offensive club, and we only gave up six hits,'' USC interim coach Dan Hubbs said. "Now we need to find ways to win that game. When we get a 2-1 lead, we have to shut them down in the next inning. We had the momentum for, like, two minutes.''

Fullerton's Willie Kuhl pitched two perfect innings of relief and Lorenzen came in from center field to pitch a perfect ninth for the save.

Titans shortstop Richy Pedroza had an outstanding all-around game. Pedroza singled and scored in the first to give Fullerton a 1-0 lead. He also walked twice and made two stellar defensive plays.

NOTES

CSF announced the sellout crowd size as its biggest since 2007. ... Hubbs lost in his debut as USC coach. He officially took over Wednesday after a USC internal investigation found that Frank Cruz violated an NCAA rule regarding hours spent supervising players.